The Legend of Korra : Bumi's Story
by OhDearNotAgain
Summary: The story of Bumi, Aang's son, during the time of Avatar Korra. ; I don't own Avatar, obviously.
1. Chapter 1 : Escape from the North Pole

_Hey guys! A new fanfiction, focusing on Tenzin's brother, Bumi! Loving Legend of Korra so far, so I'll try and keep this up-to-date. Enjoy!_

The Legend of Korra : Bumi's Story.

Chapter 1 : Escape from the North Pole

I laughed at their feeble attempts at guarding my cell. It wasn't my fault that Momo Jr. decided he wanted the flower on top of the Princess' hat, is it? Yet I was the one locked up in a mound of snow, and he was floating about outside, making his little lemur noises at me.

"Go away," I told him. "If they hear noise, they'll come and check it out.

I rolled the pebble between my palms. Concentrate, you fool, you weren't known as an air-bending prodigy for nothing. Right, deep breath.

I blew the pebble far down the hall, which turned from ice to metal about halfway through. It clattered around a corner, drawing away the attention of the guards. I sucked in, and the keys from the latter's belt zoomed into my hand which was stretched through the bars.

"Brilliant!" I whispered, and swiftly unlocked the cell.

I could hear the guard talking around the corner, searching for the source of the noise. Creeping down the corridor, I hid in an empty cell as they returned to their post. Soon they'd find out that the sleeping me in the bed was just a mass of pillows and a melon for a head.

I ran a hand over my smooth cranium, tattooed with the traditional air-nomad arrow. Following the scent of stewed sea-prunes, I found myself at the guardroom. Three old guys, snoozing in chairs, and leaning against the cupboard-

"My staff!" I whispered, excited.

A gust of air blew it into my hand, knocking over a teapot as it did so.

I dived forward, and landed just under the china pot, blowing gently from my mouth, holding it in the air. I gripped the handle, and gently replaced it on the table, breathing out with relief as I did so. I backed out of the room slowly, hands in front of me so I could see where they were.

_CRASH!_ I'd knocked something with my foot, and it had caused swords and spears to fall from the walls in a domino-effect. I ran for it before the guards could wake, but someone caught a glimpse of my bright-yellow tunic.

"Run-run-run-run-run!" I egged myself on, using the air around me to push myself forward.

The Exit! At last, my feet barely touched the floor I was so excited for freedom. I was almost at the door, so close to escaping when two guard stepped in front of it.

No choice. I flattened my limbs against my body, so I was in a straight line, and jumped through an open window. The guards gave exclamations of shock and amazement; nobody would ever dare to jump out of a prison window, one that sat on a cliff this high over the sea! But I'm not your usual prison escapee; I'm Bumi, son of the last Avatar, Aang.

I grinned as my glider spread its fan-like wings, and I could push myself high into the sky, soon joined by Momo Jr. I grinned at the winged-lemur, who is already chattering to me in his monkey-tongue. To show I don't understand him, I bat at him with a free hand, and he spirals away, screeching at me. I laughed, and began to glide upside-down, watching the clouds chase each other across the sky.

"Annnnnnd… Stop!" I grin, folding the glider and landing on the docks.

Ah, I'd forgotten to pick up my money whilst I was in the guard-room. I suppose I was too busy with the teapot. It's not good for a guy in his twenties to forget his wallet; how else is he meant to buy girls drinks at the nearest bar?

I laughed at myself; my older brother would be complaining and lecturing me on my womanising. An Air-Nomad should dedicate himself to one woman, and love her wholly as he did with his wife Pema, and our Father did with our Mother. Not my fault. Right woman hasn't come along, I didn't particularly want her to. Especially with this busty water-tribe girl strolling right past me…

"Hey, Miss?" I call after her, and she turns, confused.

"Me?" she asked, still looking around for another option.

"Yes, sorry!" I laugh. "Just wondering, can you lend me some money? I really, really need to get out of here."

She looks insulted, and I wasn't surprised when she walked off, turning her head so that her long plait smacked me in the face. I sigh, annoyed because water-tribe girls are so frosty. Not like Earth-Nation chicks. They're all stern at first but then they melt in your arms…

Focus, Bumi, focus! I flicked my forehead irritably, because I know that if I kept thinking about women, I'd be screwed. How to get back to Republic City… Where the girls are even _more_ willing- No! I cry out, frustrated at my short attention span, something I'd inherited from my Father.

"Damn," I curse, running a hand over my smooth head. "How am I-?"

"REPUBLIC CITY!" A guy with a boat is shouting. "LAST CHANCE TO GET TO REPUBLIC CITY!"

I blink, because this has been too easy. I wander up to him casually.

"Hey there…" I adopt an easy-going, lazy manner. "Fancy giving me a ride… you know… for free?"

He looks at me like I'm stupid. And then tells me to get lost.

"No, come on!" I grip his shoulders. "Please! I need to get on this boat!"

I'm shaking him, and don't realise that I'm at least a head taller than him until he squeaks his assent. I jump up into the air, ecstatic, and float down gently, bowing my head more times than necessary.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" I grin.

"Not so fast," he grabs my tunic as I make to board the ship. "You'll be working to keep yourself on board."

I blink. Work? I haven't worked a day in my life. I'm the son of the last Avatar. Sure, he didn't know me very long, but I-

"Here," when I wake up from my daydream, I'm on the boat, and the guy's pushed an apron, a mop, and a bucket at me. "Get moving."

I watched him go, before letting everything drop to the ground. Screw that, I'm not going to mop the floor!

"Hey," a big guy, white overalls and an apron. Puffy hat. "You got that water on my foot."

"Ah, sorry," I apologise, noticing his group of friends with cooking knives standing behind him. "Here, let me…"

A powerful blast of air dries off his shoe, but it also knocks his hat from his head and it lands in a pot of stew.

"Ah, my bad," I laugh nervously, as the guy lets out a growl. "Sorry about that… Anyway… gotta get mopping!"

I grab my dropped belongings and rush outside of the kitchen. My jaw drops open at the sight of below deck.

IT. IS. FILTHY.

The sooner I get back to Republic City, the better.

_** Okay, just saying if some of you realise this and litter me with picky reviews, I only just looked at the Avatar Wiki, and it says Bumi is a non-bender. Screw this! I'm not stopping writing now, so there._

_*** And I also know that Bumi's meant to be older than Tenzin, but I think the story works better with him as younger, so try to get over that. ;)_


	2. Chapter 2 : I'm home!

_Chapter 2 of Bumi's Story. Enjoy~~~_

Chapter 2 : I'm home!

I tucked the mop back into the cupboard with a sigh. Evading the cook had become my new hobby. That and keeping Momo Jr. hidden away from sight. My life was a mess.

I was squatting on the floor, head in hands, when I heard the horn blow above me, on deck. Within a heartbeat I was there, forgetting that I was still wearing my apron, leaning over the edge of the boat. A grin spread across my face, and I ran to get my staff.

I threw my apron in the cupboard, and removed the staff, stroking the polished wood happily. I breathed in the smell of the materials, and a slightly manic laugh escaped me as I charged up the stairs, two at a time.

It was some sort of cruise ship, because posh women let out shocked cries as I shoved through them and launched myself off of the side of the boat.

The glider spread out behind me, and I gave an excited cry as I flew low over the waves. Let them watch this…

I stood on the glider, like I was surfing, and flipped onto my hands as I circled Air-bender Island. The statue of my Father watched over the city, I thought somewhat menacingly, but its existence made me feel at home.

I could hear the kids.

"Uncle Bumi!" they cried, somewhere below me.

Back on my feet. Fly low over the trees, great green leaves pattering against the bottom of my gliders. Circle around a high branch, and them there was the house.

It was bigger now. Tenzin must have discovered more air-benders. About time too! Maybe someone was here that was worth challenging. My brother disapproved of my attitude, but I didn't really care about him. So pompous.

Oh, there he was. The kids must have zoomed through the house to fetch him. Ahh, there's that angry look I've been missing. At that point I tried to remember why I was returning.

"Bumi," my brother's deep voice called me down.

I jumped from the glider, and landed in front of him. The staff snapped shut and landed in my outstretched hand. I bowed.

The children were laughing and cheering. A girl was with them, water-tribe get up.

"Korra?" I grinned, waving.

She waved back, but Tenzin moved to block my adoring crowd from view. I looked up at him, but only a little now.

"Hey, bro," I teased, punching his arm gently. "How's things? I hear I'm about to become an Uncle again."

He was turning red. Oh dear, he was going to explode any time now.

"YOU ESCAPED FROM JAIL?" he roared, blowing me back a few steps.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and tried to face the air that was blowing towards me. When it had stopped, I opened them again, and found Tenzin panting with the ferocity of his lecture. I hadn't listened to any of it.

"Can I…?" I asked feebly.

Tenzin straightened his cloak. "Yes."

I grinned, and strolled past on the way to my room. Korra and the children waved as I passed, and I winked at them. I was brilliant.

My room was the same as it was when I'd left three years ago. Ah, it even smelt the same. Wait, were they still-?

"Yes!" I grinned, pulling out _Smokin' Fire-Nation Girls_ from under the bed. "Hello, ladies!"

A knock at the door forced me to shove them back into the darkness. A push of air onto the floor, and I'd rolled back onto my bed, and grabbed a scroll on spiritual lessons.

"Yeah?" I called. "Oh-! Come in!"

I sat up, and crossed my legs under me, gripping my knees. The scroll lay discarded at my side.

"Bumi?" it was Korra.

"Hey!" I grinned; we'd had fun as kids. "Take a seat!"

A gust of air pulled up a chair, and Korra smiled. She sat down carefully, and eyed the corner of a magazine that was poking out from under my bed. A flick of my hand, and the air had pushed it underneath.

"How's life as the Avatar, Dad?" I grinned.

Korra laughed. "Are you still going to call me that?"

"Of course," I smiled. "You haven't answered my question."

Korra's expression sobered suddenly, and I found myself leaning forward, frowning.

"Korra?" I asked quietly.

"Oh!" she snapped out of some sort of day-dream. "Sorry. Um, yes, it's okay."

My frown deepened; Korra had always revelled in her position as Avatar. What had changed? I gripped my chin thoughtfully.

"Is it Tenzin?" I asked, remembering my own air-bending sessions with my brother.

Korra looked shocked. "Oh, no! It's just… there're these Equalists…"

"Equalists?" I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, those non-benders? Ah…"

Their propaganda had even reached settlements outside of Republic city. A small band of them in the North Pole had been crushed, and I'd been there to see.

"Are you scared?" I asked gently.

She straightened, and I knew she was, but she was contemplating whether to lie or not.

"I'm scared," she admitted. "But more for others, rather than for myself…"

I smiled. She was a good Avatar, even if she was young. But hey, my Dad was twelve when he stopped the Hundred Year War, right? Well, a hundred and twelve, but most of that time was being stuck in an iceberg. It didn't count.

"Well, they can't do anything," I shrugged, putting my hands behind my head. "So there's no reason to worry."

Korra was wearing an odd expression on her face. "Haven't you heard? About Amon?"

"Amon's the leader, right?" my eyes narrowed, as I tried to recall him.

"Bumi," now Korra was frowning. "Bumi, he can take away your bending."


	3. Chapter 3 : Confrontation

_The latest Chapter for Bumi's Story. Enjoy! :D_

Chapter 3 : Confrontation

I sat on the beach, listening to the waves. My meditation was going well today; I kept thinking about what Korra had told me about Amon. How was that even possible? I was so frustrated that I kicked out at the sand, and the wind blew it into my face. I spluttered and coughed.

"So you're against me too, air?" I shouted at it, out over the bay.

I fell back onto my backside, and chewed the inside of my mouth angrily. Stupid equalists. It made me angry just thinking about them. This Amon guy didn't even remove his mask, and he took away a bender's very identity with this crazy power of his.

When I was small, my Dad had told me about it. But I really was small, and don't remember much. I closed my eyes, trying to recall him.

His face is always fuzzy in my memories, and now we were standing on the beach, somewhere near here. He's kneeling beside me, and I'm gripping my clothes, crying because of something Kya has told me. Evil sister. He's trying to explain to me that bending can't be lost, but someone had to take away your bending energy.

"It's called energy-bending," he tried to explain. "Remember the story about the Giant Lion-turtle?"

I nod, still snivelling. He tries to explain everything in terms that a four year-old can understand, but I'm too distraught to listen. It finally takes a hug to calm me down, and he sends me back to my Mother.

Now, my eyes open, and I hear Tenzin approaching from behind. Oh great, another lecture about how useless I am.

"Bumi?" his voice is gentle, and he sits next to me in the sand.

I avoid looking at him, knowing I'll just see pity in his eyes, because this energy-bending thing has shaken me up pretty badly, and I haven't even met the guy. Korra has. She's fine. She's even chasing after him. Why am I so freaked out?

My brother sighs, because though I'm in my twenties, I still act like a teenager, and he thinks this is because he hasn't been an appropriate male influence, since my Father died when I was nine.

"It's okay to be afraid," he told me, looking out at the lights of Republic City. "I am."

"I know it's okay," I tell him, bothered that we're actually having this conversation. "It doesn't change the fact that it annoys me."

A blast of air and I'm on my feet, walking away from him, hands in my pockets. It's dark now, because I've spent most of the day on the beach, and my stomach is rumbling so loudly that I worry some white-lotus guys who are on the porch, listening to a pro-bending match.

"Sorry, guys," I apologise, and they laugh and wave off my apology.

I enter the house, and he light and warmth of the place almost washes away my worries. Including myself, Tenzin, and the three kids, there's a total of eleven air-benders here. Eleven air-benders, in the world. I groan slightly at the realisation of this, and sit down in the dining table, where Pema is serving up rice and vegetables.

I'm tired, and Korra notices the black circles around my eyes. In fact, I'm so emotionally drained that I almost fall asleep in my rice.

"Bumi," Pema asks, concerned. "Are you feeling alright?"

Before I can excuse my behaviour she's behind me, a cool hand on my forehead. I jolt at her sudden appearance, and she frowns slightly, as if debating whether I'm actually ill, or just an idiot.

"You seem fine," she says. "Maybe you should get some rest."

"Yeah," I agree just to escape the stares of Korra and the children.

I don't go to my room. Well, I do, but only to pick up my glider. My mind is so troubled, and I can't even begin to think about meditation. On the roof, I pick a grain of rice from my tunic, and tighten the orange sash that goes around my torso from shoulder to hip. It's ceremonial, but Tenzin likes to see me wear it.

I flick open the glider, and sail out into the night sky. The statue of my Father is illuminated at night, and I look at it sadly. Why won't he answer me? I've tried talking to him in my meditations, but he's never there, now. When I was younger, he used to be. He used to turn up in my thoughts, glowing blue, like a ghost.

Now, I never see him. Perhaps I need to feel closer to him. And his statue would be a good place to start, right?

I landed on the rocky base that held up my Father, and sat on the huge, metal foot. I could lie along his toe-nail and not be tall enough to go from one side to the other. I smiled, and realised my cheeks hurt doing it, because I'd been so miserable all day.

"Hey Dad," I whispered. "I've been waiting to see you."

"And we've been waiting for you…" a voice, hissing and rasping, grates its way into my ears, and I feel two hands hit my shoulders, so that my arms go limp.

"Argh!" I cry out, panic causing my remaining limbs to move.

My staff. Where's my staff?

"Looking for this?" a hooded figure steps out from behind my Father's leg, twirling the staff in his hands. "Well, you'll have this returned to you, after this. But… I don't think it'll be of much use to you…"

"Lion-turtle guy?" I ask, temporarily forgetting his name. "Err- Amon?"

"Yes," he hisses the 's' in every word. "Now, sleep… Bumi…"

Two pairs hands hold me down, and I realised he's brought friends. Before he can grab me, I blow out with all my might, pushing him off of the small island. My legs bound up, and I pull myself free of the others' grip, and bound up the statue. I was so glad I used to do this for fun, because now I knew the nooks to secure my feet in as I bounced up to the top.

They were following, I could hear their feet and hands clanging on the metal down below.

A shrill whistled escaped between my lips, and I waited, praying that Oogi would hear me and rescue me from this predicament. Why do I always attract trouble?

"Ah!"

A hand clamps over my forehead, reaching my eyebrows, and pulls me down onto the metal surface. My head bangs down hard, and everything in front of my is swimming about, somewhat painfully. A masked face, dripping with water, appears, and the voice tells me something, but I'm too confused to understand…

"Get away from him!" a blast of fire, aimed directly at Amon and his cronies.

"Korra?" I moan, trying to sit up.

They flee into the darkness, with Amon promising to return. Korra and Tenzin enter my line of vision, accompanied by some of the white-lotus guards. Oogi gives out a long moan, and moves over to me, hoping to lick me out of my stupor.

"I feel awful," I groan.

"You would do," Tenzin sighs, as if I've caused him an inconvenience. "You've cut your head."

"_I _cut my head?" I exclaim, immediately regretting it. "Ohh…"

Tenzin shakes his head, and carries me to the Bison, with some help from Korra and the guards. I don't remember the ride home, because halfway there I black out completely.


	4. Chapter 4 : The Arena

_Okay, here's a bit of pro-bending, which I think is so, so cool. _

Chapter 4 : The Arena

I oversleep most days, but Tenzin's always there to wake me up. Sometimes he sends in Meelo, who delights in jumping all over me. That was this morning's punishment for Pema allowing me an extra few minutes.

"Come on, wake uuuuup!" my nephew shouted into my ear, bouncing all over me and my bed.

I jolted awake, terrified. My eyes narrowed and my nephew found himself flying out of the window. The air cushioned his fall, and he ran off, no less hyper than he was before. I groaned, and pulled myself out of bed.

I eyed an old scar on my chest; Kya had cut me once when I got in the way of her water-bending. I poked at it, even with healing from my Mother, I'd neglected telling her about it for so long there was no chance to heal the scarring.

"Bumi? Are you coming to watch the match?" Korra asked, entering my room unannounced.

She saw me reaching for my tunic, and blushed. I couldn't hide my amused smile; she liked to think she was all grown-up, but really she was as innocent as my nieces.

"What match is it?" I asked.

"One of the preliminaries," Korra grinned. "Against the Blazing Buzzard Wasps. Are you coming, then?"

I grinned; I'd loved pro-bending from a young age, but Tenzin professed to hating the sport, and it was pretty much banned throughout the Island. I nodded, and found my sash; it was hanging from the lamp.

"How do you get there?" I asked her, as I picked up my glider.

"Swim," Korra shrugged. "Sometimes I take Naga with me."

Ah, the polar bear-dog that she'd found as a pup. Cute little thing.

"Fancy a lift?" I grinned, nodding my head towards the staff.

Her face lit up, and we climbed to the top of the island, where the winds off of the bay were fierce. I grinned, and faced her. She seemed to think this was a bad idea now.

"Hold on!" I called back to her, the wind snatched my voice.

She linked her arms around my waist, and I jumped form the cliff, opening the glider. She cried out as we plummeted straight towards the sea. At the last moment, I pulled up, and we were soaring through the sky.

I could hear her laughing now, as she reached out to touch a cloud. I grinned; below us sat the City, shining in the morning light. Korra let out a small gasp behind me, as I spiralled down towards the arena. She leapt off of my back, and landed nimbly on her feet, one hand on the floor to steady herself, the other spread behind her in the air.

I mirrored her stance, with my staff gripped in my right hand. We both grinned at each other, and she beckoned me into the arena. A bouncer tried to prevent me entering backstage.

"It's okay, he's with me," she winked, and dragged me past.

Backstage was interesting. A whole bunch of pro-bending teams, either nervous or stupidly confident. Korra's team were changing, and we entered their room noiselessly.

"ACHOO!" a loud sneeze erupted towards me, but a twirl of my staff made it disappear back into the air.

"Tissue?" a tall boy bent by the sneezer, who was snivelling into his blanket.

"Bolin?" Korra asked, concerned.

The boy had the blanket pulled over his head, but upon seeing Korra flung it off and wrapped his arms around her waist, sobbing dramatically.

"It's horrible! So, so horrible!" he wept.

Korra looked in shock at the other guy, but he was too busy watching me suspiciously. She laughed.

"Oh, guys, this is Bumi," she smiled. "Bumi, meet Mako and Bolin."

Bolin was the ill one, and Mako the grumpy one. Bolin was still crying.

"He can't play," Mako explained to Korra. "So we'll have to forfeit."

"No, no!" Bolin tried to stand. "I can play."

Mako and Korra caught him as he got dizzy and fell forwards. I raised an eyebrow. Korra looked so devastated that I did something completely stupid.

"I'll stand in," I offered.

Mako and Bolin looked at me, but Korra's face lit up.

"Of course! It makes perfect sense!" Korra told Mako. "He's an air-bender! We'll win for sure!"

Mako looked like he was fighting an inner battle. "Sorry, Bo, it'll only be for one match."

Bolin's mouth dropped open, but after a while he nodded. "Yeah, I can't play like this... Ah-ah-atchoo!"

I dodged the clump of phlegm and snot that was sent flying my way. Ergh.

"Suit up," Mako tossed me a uniform. "We've got a match to win."

The lift to the arena was one of the most daunting things I've ever been on. I squinted as the spotlights shone on us. Someone had panicked when I turned up, because air-bending wasn't in the rule books. What was considered a bad shot?

A loud voice sounded overhead.

"_A temporary changeover for the Fire Ferrets! Replacing Bolin today, is Bumi!_"

A groan from the female members of the audience. Korra chuckled. I followed them onto the arena, and walked to the spot reserved for Bolin. I could feel every eye on me. Please, please don't let my brother find out about this.

"_And introducing our challengers, the Blazing Buzzard Wasps!_"

A mixed response from the crowd as our opponents turned up. I almost died. My opponent was a beefy earth-bender, at least twice the size of me. I mean, I was muscular, but this guy was built like a tank. I bowed, and Korra nudged me.

"Stop being all traditional," she scolded. "He's gonna hit you out of the arena if you let him!"

I blinked. "What?"

"_And we're off! The Blazing Buzzards go in on the offensive. You know what they say, folks, the best defence is a good offense! Or is it the other way around…?_"

I dodged the first two blocks of earth easily, flowing around the earth like a leaf does in the wind. I smiled as I remembered one of my first lessons in air-beanding.

"Get him!" Korra shouted to me.

Feet apart, hands push forward, creating a great rush of air towards my opponent. He was flung back a zone, and I heard the crowd cheer.

"_Well, folks, an air-bender's in the arena! What a surprise this is! You don't want to miss this!_"

More rocks: dodge, turn, duck, jump. Spin; gather the air around me to knock away not just my opponent, by Korra's. Mako knocks down his own challenger, and we move forward a zone.

"_Brilliant performance by the fire-ferrets, folks! They're on fire today, excuse the pun!_"

The guy in front of me was angry now, I could tell by the throbbing vein on his head, and the way he was ripping up the arena. _Keep moving_, I told myself, arms up, blasts of air to get rid of the rocks that got too close.

Korra knocked her opponent into the water. Mako pushed his back a step with Korra's help. I send another blast of air at my opponent and he was pushed far off of the arena, and into the water, dragging his friend with him.

"_Round one goes to the fire-ferrets! Let's go again, the Buzzards better be ready!_"

New tactics from the opposition. I was facing Mako's fire-bender, and he had my earth-bender. This would be easy.

As the first flames came towards me, I went to twirl my staff, but realised I wasn't around it. To avoid the fire, I stepped back a zone, and cursed when I heard the buzzer.

Dodging fire is a lot harder that dodging something like earth or water. Fire is crazy, it'll go any way it wants to, regardless of where you send it. A blast of air meets his flames halfway, and I take a deep breath before blowing him back a zone. I'll have to use powerful blasts of air if I'm to reach him. I run forward a zone, just as Korra knocks her water-bender from the ring. Another gush of water also knocks out my fire-bender, and I use this opportunity to wipe out Mako's earth-bender, who's so focused on Mako that he doesn't see my oncoming attack. Then again, it's air, so you can't see it.

"_And round two goes to the Fire-Ferrets! Well, folks, looks like we know who's going to win, unless the Blazing Buzzard Wasps can come back for us!_"

A huge roar from the crowd as our opponents return to their spots. Now I have Mr. Water-bender, who's taken the water from his clothes with a flick of his wrist. He glares at me; we're now both in the middle of the ring, as Korra's swapped places with me.

Water. Easy. Bell goes, I blast him back a zone. He slashes water at me, and in the liquid I only see my sister, going at me like a mad-woman.

"Oomph!" knocked back a zone.

"Wake up!" Korra shouts at me.

I get up, and slice the air at the water-bender. This cuts his clothing and himself underneath, and the refs decide this is a foul. I shrug; there had to be rules at some point. I move back to the final zone.

Mako's pushed back with me, and Korra's in the second zone. I watch as Mako fires back at the opposition.

"At the same time!" I shout at him.

He grins with understanding, and we both blast our elements at out two opponents. Knock-out, as all three of the other team get caught in our joint attack, and fall into the water.

"_And the winners are the Fire Ferrets! That was some spectacular bending, folks! I'm almost sorry that Bolin's got to return to the team!_"

I wince at the last comment from the commentator, but when we reach Bolin he's ecstatic. His nose running, he hugs me tightly and gathers in the others for a group-hug.

"That was some great bending!" he cheers us. "Really, in that last round, I thought we were gonna lose it, but you two! Wow!"

He begins to rant about the match to Mako, and Korra smiles at me.

"Thanks," she laughs. "I'm really glad you played."

"No, thank you!" I grin. "I've always loved pro-bending."

Mako grips my hand in a friendly handshake, and is smiling, for once.

"Thanks, you really saved us out there," he says. "If any of us fall out, you'll step in, right?"

"The crowd would love it," Korra assures me.

"Sure," I nod.

Bolin's suddenly recovered from his illness, because he suggests that we go out for something to eat in order to celebrate the match. We agree, and he cheers, calling Pabu, his fire-ferret, to join us. I smile, because I'm glad that Korra's got friends like these guys. Even if Bolin seems to be an idiot.


	5. Chapter 5 : Meditation

_A somewhat light-hearted chapter after the last ones._

Chapter 5 : Meditation…

I was sitting in the meditation pavilion, but I hadn't really gotten anywhere with it, since that thing with Amon on Dad's statue. I roll about on the wooden floor of the pavilion, frustrated beyond belief.

"ARRRGGGHHH!" I shout out towards the sea, chest heaving.

After a minute or two of shouting, I calm down, and finally sit on the floor. I think I broke something in my moment of lunacy, but I ignored it and tried to concentrate. Or rather, tried _not_ to concentrate. Let my mind go free. Freedom. Like the wind. Haaa….

_In my meditations, I always end up on top of some kind of mountain. And I was now, so I knew I was doing it right. Just keep relaxing, and something will just pop up and say hello… Once it was Appa, my Dad's bison. He licked me a lot, and then flew off before I woke up._

"_Bumi?"_

_My eyes flicker open, and I grin to find Dad, sitting on a cloud, looking at me curiously. I bow; a respectful gesture to the avatar and a teacher. He smiles slightly, but still seems concerned._

"_What's happened?" he asks._

"_You must know," I say. "You're floating about inside Korra all the time."_

"_Imagine me, but asleep," Dad grins; my grin. "Now, tell me, how's my city doing?"_

_I hesitate, and ghost-Dad frowns._

"_Who is Amon?" he asks._

_Since we're in my meditation space, he knows all I know. His eyes focus on something behind me, and I can tell he's reliving my memories._

"_That's a dangerous power he has," he shook his head. "Bumi, do you remember the time you fell through the ice, in the south pole?"_

_I guess I look confused, because he sighs, and begins to explain._

"_Bumi, it's very important that you-"_

Meelo's bouncing around, and making so much noise I break out of my meditative state. I grab the child and squeeze his head tightly, making his wriggle in my grasp.

"That… was…. Important!" I grunt, giving him a noogie that he well and truly deserved.

He simply pulls a face at me and runs off. I sigh, and run a hand over my head, leaning back and laying down on the wood, arms used as a pillow. My niece, Jinora, comes and sits next to me, a book clasped in her arms.

"Are you alright, Uncle Bumi?" she asked quietly. "Your meditation seemed really intense…"

"It was…" I groaned, rubbing my forehead. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Korra and I were going to practise- Ah! There she is!" Jinora waved as Korra approached, jogging down the hill to meet her.

Korra smiled as slowed to a halt inside the pavilion. I stand up as the two of them sat, and I moved off to let them begin.

After feeding the sky bison, I walked past the pavilion on the way back to the temple. I looked over, to see Korra ranting and raving, whilst Jinora looked on, disheartened.

"Are you alright?" I moved over, amused at Korra's ferocity.

"I can't MEDITATE!" she cried, waving her arms in the air.

I laughed. Was that all?

"It's easy once you get it, here, look," I sat beside them both. "Copy my position."

Korra did so, and Jinora was already sitting properly. I tapped the base of Korra's back, and she straightened automatically. She cupped her hands in her lap, and breathed deeply.

"And now," I spoke calmly and in as deep a voice as I could. "Just let your mind wander until it goes blank…"

We waited, and just when I began to feel triumphant, Korra began to snore. I watched for a moment, and eventually just left them there. Stupid.

I waited for Tenzin to return home from some meeting to be able to talk to him about it. I suppose my brother was useful in that respect. In the meantime, I helped myself to a glass of milk, and gulped down my first in a matter of seconds. The next one lasted longer, mainly I just stared at the white liquid and imagined bending it, like Kya could. Ha, sisters. Who needs them?

Tenzin arrived later, and stared at me drinking the milk.

"What?" I frowned, putting the glass down and wiping the milk from my upper lip.

"You like sky bison milk?" he asked, as I took another mouthful.

"Pffftt!" I spat it out in a cloudy white spray, and immediately began to paw at my tongue, as if that would rid me of the milky taste. "Why do you even have that?"

"Well, normally we save it for motherless calves," Tenzin was trying not to laugh. "But if you enjoy it, I'm sure we could milk them more often."

I glared at him. He chuckled, and sat next to me, moving the glass away onto another table. I sighed wearily, and scratched my forehead. Tenzin eyed the scab on the back of my head.

"Still having nightmares?" he asked.

"Yeah," I acknowledged. "But they're different now. I'm underwater… and there's ice."

Tenzin raised his eyebrows. "Oh! You remember that?"

I blinked. "What?"

Tenzin stroked his beard, trying to remember exactly what is was that happened. Suddenly, he sighed with understand, and turned back to me.

"When you were very young," he said, his eyes looking at the ceiling as he tried to remember. "Kya and I took you down to the sea."

"Back in the South Pole?" I asked.

Tenzin nodded. "Yes. As Kya was practising her water-bending, I noticed you were missing. Kya then found you, under the ice."

Flashes of images pounded through my brain. Kya, slamming her fists against the ice as my hands pressed against it. Tenzin running over me, going to fetch our parents. The air leaving my lungs, and sinking through the cold water.

"And when Father finally reached you," Tenzin murmured. "You were still alive… Amazing, really, as you spent nearly five minutes under the ice, at the least."

A giant paw, reaching through the dark water towards me. Tapping into my mind. Telling me to-

"Bumi?" Tenzin was frowning at me.

Everyone wore that concerned look when talking to me, now. I tried to smile.

"Oh, well, thanks," I laughed. "Hey, at least I don't dream about Amon, right?"

I got up, and crossed the dining room. Tenzin watched me go quietly. Just before I closed the door, I grinned at him.

"Do you think I'll be able to dream about some fire-nation chicks, tonight?" I teased him, before running up to my room, my heart still pounding in my chest.

What was going on?


	6. Chapter 6 : My Darling Sister

_Chapter 6 is here! Enjoy. I had fun writing this chapter._

Chapter 6 : My Darling Sister.

Life was peaceful, and good. Amon had disappeared for a few weeks, probably plotting something nasty in a cave somewhere. Korra and her team were storming through preliminary match after preliminary match. And Tenzin liked to watch! So everyone was pretty happy, and this is what lulled me into a false sense of security.

As the baby of the family, I am treated differently from my siblings. When I was young, my parents seemed to think I was fragile and used to give me only praise, and no criticism. Of course, this only helped to inflate my ego and make me the idiot I am today. Tenzin saw me, for most of his life, as a bothersome nuisance. Like a gnat. He probably still thinks of me as a gnat.

The only person who sought me out to tease and torment me was my demonic sister, Kya. My childhood was cursed by her presence. Constant water-bending tricks. Get my trousers wet; claim to the class at school that I'd wet myself. Turn my drinks to ice as I was drinking. A lot of it involved being soaked on a daily basis.

So, I had a traumatic childhood. And this all came back to me one dinner-time.

I was sitting down, chomping on a root-vegetable of some kind – probably a carrot – when a figure appeared at the door. Tenzin blinked at her arrival; she wasn't expected, and she hadn't been in touch for years. It was only when she spoke that I jumped to my feet, knocking over the table as I went.

"Hey, baby brothers," she grinned.

And there she was. KYA. Evil, in its purest form. A water-bending demon with a taste for cruelty and corporal punishment. I could feel the colour drain from my face. Of course, Korra and Kya got along splendidly.

"Kya!" she cheered, getting up to greet her.

"Korra," a smiled, an embrace, and my sister seemed perfectly normal. "What's the matter Bumi? Lemur got your tongue?"

I tried to gulp down the sudden influx of saliva into my mouth. Come on! You're in your twenties! She's a grown woman, you're a grown man – you'll be able to get along, now!

Or so I thought. I grimaced a greeting at her, and went to take a drink. _Splash_. I looked down at my trousers, and almost screamed at her.

"Careful, Bumi," she teased. "I'll be having his room, right?" she asked Tenzin, suddenly ignoring my existence.

"Err, I-," Tenzin blinked stupidly.

"No!" I shouted, racing from the room and up the stairs to safety. And to change my trousers.

I spent the next few days avoiding Kya. Ducking round corners, hiding in cupboards and under tables, climbing around cliffs in order to avoid detection. Hopefully she'd get bored of the constant harassment and leave me alone. Right? WRONG.

I soon realised that the Island was too small for the both of us, and resorted to hanging out with Bolin whilst Mako was working at the power-plant, and Korra was at air-bending training. We had a similar sense of humour, actually, and Pabu was one talented fire-ferret.

I was leaving the arena one day, laughing to myself with the memory of one of Bolin's many mishaps when I bumped into Kya. Actually, I walked straight past her, but she whistled at me, causing me to jump.

"Argh!" I yelled, instinctively tensing into a defensive stance. "Away from me, witch!"

She rolled her eyes. "Relax, idiot. I want a drink, and Tenzin's teetotal. Know any good bars?"

I blushed guiltily. "Err, no…"

She raised an eyebrow, and I shrugged. Linking her arm through mine, she dragged me off into the city.

Looking at my sister, I was surprised to find her smaller than me. Her dark brown hair was tied back in multiple braids, traditional water-tribe style. She had more lines on her face now, as if she'd been through something troubling. It worried me, because now that I was this close to her, I could see she was run down. She probably needed a drink.

We stopped at a Fire-Nation bar, full of fire-benders and a few non-benders. I knew that Kya liked the fiery pepper-shots you could buy here.

"You're paying, right?" she told me, and I rolled my eyes.

"Sure," I agreed, as she called over the barman.

"So," she rolled her shoulders. "I hear you had some trouble with these equalists."

I blushed, and downed my shot. Fire erupted in my throat, and I had to fight down a fit of choking. My eyes watered and I nodded in agreement to her statement.

"Ah," she downed her own drink and called for some more. "Yeh, there's been a bit of trouble on Kyoshi Island."

"Kyoshi?" I raise my eyebrows; surprised. "A place that remote?"

"They're easy to appease," Kya took a bottle from behind the bar and filled her empty glass. "But I'm worried about the City. There's a _lot_ of support for this Amon guy. Too much."

I nodded. She downed her drink again, bending it up into her mouth. To say my sister was a drunkard would be a lie; she drank a lot, but never got drunk. Unlike me. Or Tenzin, that lightweight. Though he'd never admit he'd been in a bar at all.

"Shall we move onto the next one?" she asks me, and I throw some coins onto the bar.

We walk out of the club, and I can feel myself becoming tipsy. We walk in silence through a run-down old square, and Kya frowns at something in the distance. A group of men, huddled together, going in through a door. I notice the sign sewn onto their coat-sleeves.

"Equalists!" I say, a bit too loudly, because of the alcohol.

"Shut up!" Kya hisses, but they've turned to us. "Listen, stay quiet, alright?"

I pull an imaginary zip across my lips and follow her as she approaches the group. I'm grinning like an idiot, but I don't seem to notice.

"Hail, brothers!" she laughs nervously. "Long live Amon! And stuff…"

"What do you want?" one asks harshly, cracking his knuckles.

"Oh, only to bask in the non-bending glory of the Equalist movement," Kya bows her head slightly.

I almost laugh, but my drunken mind remembers the imaginary zip, so I stay quiet.

The men look at each other. Kya begins to sweat; I can see beads of it forming on her upper lip. I push forward, and poke one of the men in the chest.

"Look, _brother_," I tell him, slurring my words. "If you don't want us to members, then you're _brother_ of mine. And I have a brother! I know!"

Kya looks like she's ready to die, but the men shuffle in their positions, and move aside to let us in the doorway. Kya thanks them and pushes me through, furious.

"Hey, I got us in," I blink a lot, trying to stay focused on something. "How much did I drink?"

"Not much," Kya admits. "But I spiked your drink for a laugh."

"Eh?" my voice cracks. "Why?"

She shrugs. "Not the time right now. Come on, let's go."

We're in a dark corridor, and I almost fall down some stairs. We descend into the lower levels of the city, and soon find ourselves outside a single, locked door. I look at Kya, grinning because by this time I can barely stand up. I raise a fist mockingly, as if to knock.

"Are you nuts?" she hisses. "We've got to get out of here."

"Whoops!" I say, giggling slightly.

My fist taps against the door in three, uneven knocks. A tense moment follows, before the door opens slightly.

"Hail, brothers!" I say to the brown eye peeking around the door. "We're here to join!"

Before I know it, we're dragged inside, and sat in a dark room full of green, glowing eyes. I blink stupidly, and Kya's gripping my arm.

"Ow," I moan at her.

"My children," a familiar, terrifying voice. "Welcome, to the ranks of the Equalists!"

My chest is contracting with fear, my hear is pounding. I can see Amon's masked face, I can see-

"A projector?" whispers Kya.

A projector. Thank heavens, or else he'd have recognised me by now. Fake Amon is reeling off a list of Equalist duties and promises, ending with an oath that Kya and myself repeat, and learn that there are others in this dark room.

The lights are lit, and I can see a ceremonial fire being built. A brand is placed into the fire. I stare at it dimly, as I'm forced to the front of a queue by my sister, and the top of my arm is bared.

"Hang on-!" I object, as the brand is placed on my arm.

I cry escapes me as my skin blisters under the red-hot metal. I try to pull back, but the mass of people there are pressing me forward, into the heat.

"No!" I shout, pulling away.

I grab Kya, and we push through the crowd. Hands are reaching for us, one grips Kya's hair-

"Rargh!" she shouts, a blade of ice slices through her brown locks, and the water whips around up, pushing away our attackers.

"Quickly," I tell her, terror and pain forcing me to come to my senses. "Chi-blockers will be here any minute!"

We run, through the door and up the stairs. A blast of air opens the door at the top, ripping it off of its hinges. We flee, our feet pounding the street, our sweaty hands gripping each other.

Shouts bounce off the walls behind us, and glowing green eyes follow us in the dark. I can see the docks; I left my staff there, hidden between some cargo. I race towards it, and Kya twists her angle. I have to heave her onto my back; her moans of pain seem to hurt me as much as they do herself. I search for it frantically until-

"Found it!" I grin, holding it up triumphantly.

"Bumi!" she yells, her eyes glued to the green orbs getting closer and closer.

I jump from the end of the dock, glider open, and a hand rips my sash as I glide up into the air, just out of their reach. Triumph makes me hoot, and I soar into the dark sky, littered with stars.

Gliding when intoxicated isn't something I'd recommend. We crashed into a tangled heap in front of the house, and Tenzin came out with Pema, both in their night-clothes, looking extremely worried.

"Bumi!" Pema grips my face between her hands, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"He's drunk!" Tenzin sounds so pompous all the time, I just have to tell him so.

Kya waves my brother away. "Leave him be; it's not his fault. Get me some water!"

Her water-skin is empty because she used it on the way out of that den. Tenzin returns with a bowl of water, and Kya moves me into the light. Pema gasps at the blistering on my arm, and even Tenzin seems concerned at its appearance.

"He got a tattoo?" he asked uncertainly, holding his wife's shoulders as she stood in front of him.

"We bumped into some Equalists," Kya told him, levitating the water over my wound.

I hissed as fresh pain blossomed from the numbing ache that the brand had settled into. I looked at it carefully once she'd finished. It was a word:

Harmony.


	7. Chapter 7 : Firebenders' Awful Tempers

_A bit of romance/drama._

Chapter 7 : Fire-benders have awful tempers.

Bolin and I were sat in the arena, playing a card game. Korra was too busy playing with Pabu, as she'd lost her winning to us almost an hour ago. Not Bolin and I were playing for some serious winnings: A comb (Korra's), three yuans (Bolin's), and a scroll full of Air-Nomad cooking (mine).

Mako came in, shaking the rain from his coat. He lounged on the sofa, complaining about a busy day at the Power Plant.

"Sounds like you need to unwind," I tell him, concentrating on the card game, mostly.

"Yeah!" Bolin jumps on this idea. "Come with us, later! We're going to get some Air-Nomad grub from the Island and enjoy the company of Bumi's family."

"You're welcome to come, Mako," Korra adds, still playing with Pabu.

"I can't," Mako yawns, stretching his hands over his head. "I'm meeting Asami, and I doubt she'll want to do that."

"What won't I want to do?" Asami was climbing the staircase into the brother's home.

Bolin blinked, and Korra looked stumped. I raised an eyebrow.

"You gave her a key?" Bolin looked at his brother.

"Yeah," Mako frowned slightly. "What of it?"

Asami kissed Mako lightly on the forehead, before turning back to the rest of us.

"What's the plan?" she asked, looking intrigued.

"We're grabbing some of Pema's cooking," I tell her, before laying down a card.

"Oh, boulders!" Bolin exclaims, flinging down his remaining cards.

"Pema?" Asami looks at Mako for help.

"Tenzin's wife," Korra says, her tone short and somewhat stubborn.

"Oh!" Asami sounds surprised. "Air-Nomad food?"

"It's the best!" Bolin remarks dreamily. "Sweet, soft noodles and rice with roasted vegetables… Mmmm…"

I half expected him to begin drooling. I stole a glance at Korra, who was still messing about with Pabu, but looking a bit put-out. I examined Asami carefully. There was something off about her… She seemed too… fake.

I shrugged; maybe it was because all the women I'd ever known were my family. And Korra. My Mum and sister were like soldiers, perfectly able to take care of themselves. Pema's a tough cookie, and will always defend her husband valiantly. And Korra's… well, Korra.

"You're welcome to join us," I say, looking at her with my stormy grey eyes.

Hers are a sea-green. She smiles confidently.

"I'd be glad to," she beams.

"You would?" Korra, Bolin and Mako exclaim.

"I'll call Oogi," I say, and I walked out onto the balcony, where I gave a shrill whistle.

Upon returning, I saw that Korra's face had soured, and Bolin now seemed a bit shy in Asami's presence. Mako seemed perfectly comfortable and loved-up, but he wasn't as much of a friend of mine, compared to his brother. A sky bison ride later, and we were strolling up to the house.

The children ran to Mako, Bolin and Korra; I had the sense to get out of the way. Meelo approached Asami carefully, before hissing at her, and running off. Jinora and Ikki followed their brothers, shooting Asami weird looks. I raised an eyebrow at their behaviour, but ignored it.

"It's okay, he'd always like that," Mako was assuring Asami, as we entered the house.

Pema greeted us jovially, and took the others' coats.

For once, we had our own table for dinner, as the children were with their parents at another. Jinora and Ikki kept whispering and glaring at Asami, something I found amusing. The girl was too busy admiring the Air Nomad tapestries that lined the walls.

"Fascinating," she murmured, touching one gently. "Such a wonderful culture."

"Mmm," I agreed vaguely.

Bolin and Korra looked bored, and Mako was still fawning over his girlfriend. She turned to me, however, and tried to strike up conversation.

"So, Bumi," she knew my name. Impressive. "I hear you've been travelling?"

I nod. "For about three years. However, my fourth time in prison led to me deciding it was time to stop. I don't think I'm welcome in the North Pole any longer."

Bolin and Korra are laughing, so Asami thinks I'm lying. Let her think what she wants.

Pema places the food in front of us, and we thank her gratefully. She smiles at us, and rets a hand on my shoulder before returning to her family. I pick up my chopsticks and tuck into the rice. But Asami's having none of it.

"I hear you're the best air-bender in the world," she tells me, her eyes glittering.

I put down my bowl. "Seeing as there are only about ten of us, that's not really hard."

She reaches across the table. "You've got some rice on your lip."

She brushes it off before I can back away, and I noticed everyone on our table watching. A piece of pepper drops from Korra's chopsticks. I frowned, and brushed my face once around with my hand. Mako looked a bit surprised, but changes the conversation.

"So, you guys got any tactics for our next match?" he asked Korra and Bolin, slurping from the bowl.

"Well, actually-," Korra begins.

"Didn't you play in a match with them, Bumi?" Asami asks, leaning across the table slightly.

And that's when I notice how she's undone her top, slightly. Just enough to make a guy like me lose focus completely-

Mako's noticed, and I snap out of whatever trance I was in. I see his jaw set, and decide to concentrate on my food. Korra's eyes have narrowed, and she tries to lighten the mood by talking about her opinions on their latest matches.

Mako and I say nothing more during the meal, and I think Asami finally read the atmosphere. It was another hour or so until we were all finished, and I offered to saddle Oogi in order to get them home safely. Eager as ever to understand Air-Nomad culture, Asami volunteered to help. Bolin and Korra exchanged glances.

I didn't understand why she kept bugging me. I'd been cold and inhospitable to her all evening, something Pema was sure to scold me for, and yet she was still following me.

Using air-bending to navigate around the sky bison quickly, the saddle was soon secure.

"And so you just tuck the straps under…" I showed Asami. "See? And then-!"

A kiss stopped my talking, and I pushed her off of me gently.

"Look, I'm flattered, but Mako's-," going to blow my head off with some fire.

I grabbed my staff and twirled it rapidly in order to dissipate the flames that came roaring towards me. Damn, he really liked her. I dodged and finally, ended up blowing the angry boy way with a wave of air, created by bringing my staff down over my head and slamming it to the floor. Bolin caught Mako, and held him back, pinning his arms behind him.

"You kissed her!" he accused, but the pain in his eyes said he didn't believe it.

Korra was about to deny the statement, but I stopped her.

"Yeah, I kissed her," I crouched by Mako; he was sitting in the sand, with Bolin kneeling behind him.

Bolin looked at me, as did Korra, aghast at my lie. Was it even right for Air-Nomads to lie? Right then I didn't particularly care.

"She's an attractive girl," I said, not trying to flatter Asami, but wanting to lessen Mako's pain. "It's your fault for not protecting her from lecherous old men like me."

Korra raised an eyebrow, but Bolin dragged Mako onto Oogi's saddle, and I helped up Asami. She looked at me coldly, and I returned the expression, as she clambered into the saddle next to them. Either way, she had a lot of explaining to do.

As Oogi flew off, Korra nudged me in the ribs with her elbow.

"Lecherous old man?" she laughed. "You're in your twenties!"

I laughed. "Too much."

She smiled, contemplating it. Then she shook her head.

"No."


	8. Chapter 8 : Lin Beifong

_Okay, I'll be taking a break from writing about Bumi for a little while, due to exams and college and life in general, so I thought I'd leave you with this chapter as an apologetic gift. _:)

Chapter 8 : Lin Beifong

I'd been arrested. Again.

My life is a mess, I'll admit it. I'll admit anything if I could just escape this cell, and escape _her_.

I'd been talking to this girl of the street, that's all. She was in a bit of a mess, you see. The heel on her shoe had finally snapped and she had to get somewhere. No money for a taxi, but she claimed she was going to get paid later. So, being the charitable Air-Nomad that I am, I give her some money.

I must have been looking pretty lecherous, because soon we're both in cuffs, being watched by some policeman who's been hidden in phone booth for a while. Apparently I was aiding prostitution in Republic City, and she was a regular to that street corner.

So now, I'm stuck in a cell, protesting my innocence to deaf ears. It even comes to "I'M A MONK!" to try and get me out of here.

So instead, I give up. This isn't a jail in an Earth-Kingdom town, or a cell in a Fire-Nation colony. This is prison in Republic City, and it's impossible to escape. I know, I watched my Father design it. If they stuck Amon in here, we'd all be fine.

I sat down on the bench, legs apart, elbow on each knee. My head rested pretty comfortably in my hands, but I must have looked so depressed that a guard knocked on the bars.

"You okay?" he asks me, illiterate monkey that he is.

I nod. And he returns the gesture, before looking forward.

But I'm not okay, because soon, my brother's psychopath ex-girlfriend is going to come through those doors and try and castrate me in any way that she can.

_Bam!_ Door slammed open, and there she was, followed by Tenzin, who seemed to be arguing a point that she just wasn't listening to.

Instead, she grabbed the front of my tunic, and pulled me up to her; I've always been freaked out by her strength, and this wasn't an exception. She pulled my face up to hers, and glared into it, making some sort of feral growling noise.

"_You_ go to the _ladies_ now, Bumi?" she asked dangerously.

I pause; say the wrong thing, and I'm dead.

"No?" I squeak, worrying about how my crotch is right by her knee.

She makes another noise of disgust, and uses her enormous strength to throw me across the cell. I sprawl down, and Tenzin looks shocked.

"Lin!" he objects.

She shoots him a glare, and begins a lecture for both of us on how prostitution is becoming a serious problem in Republic City. There aren't enough jobs, and so women (and men) were turning to selling their bodies in order to provide for their families.

"Is that how our parents imagined this City?" she asked the two of us.

Like schoolboys, we shook our heads. She crossed her arms, satisfied.

"Okay," she said. "You can go, but this is going on your record!"

I grimace as I walk past her. Ergh, my record is one black mark on my name. An enormous black mark. Lin insists on recording every little thing I've done wrong, even if it's a complete accident.

But I also smile, because though Lin Beifong has some issues, she's always fair, and only wants what's best for my Dad's legacy. And as I look around the city as we leave the station, I grin, because she's done a good job.

Tenzin gives me another lecture, asking how I could possibly not know a prostitute when I saw one. I gave him that look, the look which is simply a hundred questions in one. He tolls his eyes, and asks if it's safe to let me roam the city alone.

I'm about to give this really witty answer, when we hear some scuffle down an alleyway.

A group of benders is having a go and this poor idiot who can make neither heads nor tails of the situation. He's on the ground now, a barrage of elements aimed at his unprotected form.

"Hey!" I shout, and rush in there.

I can hear Tenzin behind me, shouting things about the law in that pompous voice of his. Blast a few of them off with some air, and Tenzin takes out a water-bender in a few seconds. He knocks the guy out, and claims Lin will have some fun with this one.

I kneel by the guy on the floor. Some kid in a school uniform.

"You okay?" I ask.

The boy flinches automatically, but nods. "My… glasses?"

I find them, battered and a little bent, but he's happy because the lenses are intact. He thanks Tenzin and myself, and we send him on his way home.

"And steer clear of alleyways!" I shout after him, using my "uncle voice".

Tenzin smiles at me. "I think you'll be fine," he says, before dragging the unconscious water-bender towards the police station.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I grin, flicking out my tunic with two hands.

Stuffing them in my pockets, I walk the streets with a new confidence. My feet plants firmly on the ground, my head held high, back straight.

At least until I trip over an uneven paving stone and find myself flat on my face. Ergh. My life's a mess.


	9. Chapter 9 : Riots

_Okay, so yesterday's post lied. But seriously now, this is the last one until exams are over. I had to clear my head of this idea, so here it is._

Chapter 9 : Riots

The children were excited. And why shouldn't they be? This was one of their few times to get off of the island and explore the city that their Grandfather built. I wasn't too excited for the parade; it would be my twentieth time viewing it, after all. I figured I'd find a seedy bar, settle down with a plump woman on my lap, feeding my sea-prunes…

"Bumi!"

Korra woke me from my daydream, and I gave her a sour look. She blinked at me.

"Are you coming?" she asked, gesturing to the giant sky bison in front of us.

Oogi moaned at me, and I saw the children were already bouncing about on top of the saddle. Tenzin was helping Pema up the side of the huge animal, and Korra was still looking at me hopefully.

"No thanks," I waved a hand, expressing my boredom at the idea. "I'll pass."

The kids all make disappointed noises, and Korra pulls that face that always gets me to do stuff, and so I've grabbed my glider, and am sitting in this saddle with my family. It's cramped, especially as you're trying not to squash the heavily pregnant woman.

Soon, the children can see the beginnings of the parade. They all gasp and hang over the side of the bison, and Tenzin panics and pulls them back continuously. I get stuck with Meelo on my lap, because he insists on bouncing around in the saddle.

"Can't you hold him?" I ask Korra, who just laughs at me.

Korra and Jinora laugh at me, whilst Ikki is still hanging over the side of the saddle, shouting about the wonderful things she can see.

It takes a few minutes for Tenzin to house Oogi somewhere safe, before I'm mooching around behind my happy family, who are bouncing here, there and everywhere, using air-bending.

"Wow!" the children gasp.

Ah, the fire-benders have done it again. This year, charging down the street is a huge paper dragon, shooting fire from its mouth to form beautiful, dangerous pictures. Old Fire-Nation legends, I remember a few from my childhood.

"A dragon!" Meelo exclaims, preceding a whole five minutes of roaring.

Tenzin looks a bit run down, and I can't help but laugh at his expression.

I feel on-edge, and scratch my brand absently. I'm wearing a long jacket to hide it, but it feels present, and I keep touching it.

"Don't scratch," Kya suddenly turns up, a bottle of liquor in her hand. "If you scratch it, it'll get worse."

She revels the brand, which I've caused to bleed by scratching so hard through the fabric. She sighs, and bends the liquor onto the wound, which stings. I yelp, and blush because I look rather babyish. Korra examines the brand curiously.

"_Harmony_?" she reads. "What about destroying the balance of bending is harmony?"

"Spoken like an Avatar," my sister comments, flicking the drink to the ground and examining her work. "It'll fade, but I don't think it'll go, Bumi."

Something in her eyes makes me think she feels guilty, so I shrug, and try to act like it doesn't bother me. Well, it does. But if I've got a huge blue arrow tattooed on my head, why not brand my arm too? I almost laugh, but notice the float from the water-benders.

A large tank, full water-benders dressed up as sea-creatures.

"The Inagi!" Meelo laughs, pointing.

"It's U-nagi!" Ikki corrects him, and he sticks out his tongue at her.

Everyone's laughing, and I'm still on edge. My eyes scan the crowd, waiting an watching… Just a glimpse of anything that would assure my suspicions weren't stupid or pointless.

There! A glowing green eye – chi-blocker!

I run, shoving through the crowd as Tenzin and Kya call after me. Korra's had the sense to follow, and not shout.

"Equalists?" she asks, keeping pace with me.

The crowd's begun to part before us, and I find us stumbling into the middle of the parade. I can imagine my nieces and nephew wondering what the hell I'm doing, as I crash into an Earth-Kingdom girl who's dressed as a tree. A really hot tree.

"Call me!" I shout back at her, as Korra and I plunge into the crowd at the other side of the parade.

The crowd shouts abuse or mutters amongst themselves, wondering what's going on. I can see him! Dark attire, head to toe, with those glowing green goggles turning back to see if I'm still chasing.

My face turns into a scowl, as the air pushes me faster and faster; my feet barely touch the cobbled street beneath me. Korra's being left behind. She needs to learn to air-bend.

CHILD! I jump straight over the little girl, who watches me, mouth open to reveal missing front teeth. Real cute. But I've lost him.

I skid to a halt, as Korra charges past.

"This way!" she shouts, ducking into an alleyway.

I follow, and realise we're headed for the industrial parks. My suspicions are confirmed when the runner leads us into a factory full of hissing pipes and lose valves. I duck around them easily, remembering the leaf. Stupid leaf, causing me all sorts of trouble.

"There!" Korra shouts, still slightly ahead of me.

He's struggling with a door- _SLAM_! I hit him as full strength, and we tumble out onto a balcony. The defensive technique of air-bending allows me to avoid his attacks easily; he must be a novice. A blast of air sends him spinning into some friends that I've only just noticed. Korra jumps over me, kicking fire from her feet.

"Back to back!" I tell her, noticing more approaching from behind.

She slams her back to mine, and I blast some more air towards our opponents. Air is invisible, so they can't physically dodge it if they see it coming. Most of them fall from the balcony, into a well-placed wagon full of carpet-fibres.

"Duck!" she shouts, and I obey, conscious of orange flames spreading out over me.

My head breaks into a sweat at the heat, and for once I'm glad I don't have hair. I steal a fire-bending move, spinning on my back, creating a circular wall of air that slams them all against the railings, allowing Korra to metal-bend them into place. They struggle, and one last one aims some sort of launcher at the parade.

"No!" I shout, seeing Tenzin laughing with Meelo on his shoulder, and Kya with her arm around Pema.

A rush of water, and the missile is knocked off target by Korra, and blews up a nearby building. Chaos erupts in the street, and Korra and I are left to stare in dismay at the pandemonium below us. Why on earth would they route the parade by the industrial district, anyway? Of course, to show the industrial might of Republic City, show it off to visitors from each kingdom.

"Tenzin!" Korra and I shout, but to no avail. He's sheltered in an alcove with the family as the crowd crushes past.

"_Citizens of Republic city!_" Korra and I look at each other as we hear Amon's slithery voice over some loudspeakers. "_See what the efforts of benders creates? Discord and destruction for all the non-bending population! Join the Equalists, so that this might stop once and for all!_"

"You did this, you prick!" I shout at the nearest loud-speaker, and cut it down with an air-slice.

Korra takes my hand and we jump down from the balcony, into the path of three Equalists, who look confused at the fallen speaker. She's about to strike at them when they turn to us casually.

"Hey, they've got faulty speakers here, huh?" one laughs.

Korra looks at me, startled, and we realised I've ripped my coat, revealing the brand on my arm. I laugh nervously, and Korra and I scuttle past, still chuckling with the chi-blockers.

"Run!" I hiss, and we sprint past.

Korra and I pause; the crowd is swelling, trying to leave the square as quickly as possible. I step back a bit, and leap over the crowd, the wind behind me pushing me forward. I stumble upon landing; I misjudged the distance and my foot clips someone's shoulder.

"Oomph!" I let out a rush of air when my feet hit the floor, hands shortly following.

Tenzin passes me Ikki and Meelo, whilst he puts his arm around Pema. Kya hold Jinora's hand; the little girl's hiding her face.

"Where's Korra?" Tenzin asks urgently, as I whistle for Oogi.

"I don't know!" I shout back, as the huge sky-bison appears in my line of sight, hovering and hollering above the crowd, who are now even more terrified.

Lin's finally arrived with the metal-benders, and they're trying to placate the crowd. A rope lowers from the Bison's back, and I see Korra up there. She laughs at the look on my face, before beckoning everyone to climb up. I help Pema hold onto the rope, and hold her close as we're pulled up into the saddle.

Another missile rushes past, and Pema cries out in a panic, burying her head in my chest. I stare about wildly; the chi-blockers have regrouped and have reloaded the missile launcher. I shouted up to Tenzin and Korra, who were tugging at the rope.

"Hurry!" I shouted.

They heaved us up, and I pushed Pema into the saddle.

"Let's go-!" another explosion, behind me.

A lump of brick and mortar hits the back of my head and my left shoulder. My arm goes limp and I'm pulled up by Tenzin, who inspects a new cut on my head.

"Why do you always cut your head?" he sighs.

"Me?" I shout at him, over the noise below. "Kya! Let's get out of here!"

"I'm on it!" my sister calls out from the bison's head. "Yah!"

We soar into the sky, and I watch the flames turn into black smoke that appears from the carnival parade ground. The kids are making noises of dismay, and Ikki's got tears in her eyes. I look at Tenzin, who's frowning, and probably intending to call a meeting about this.

Korra seems the most upset of all, probably because she's the Avatar. I clench my fists, because though my Dad taught me that the Air-Nomads were a peaceful people, I sure as hell didn't feel peaceful now.


	10. Chapter 10 : Boy Trouble

Chapter 10 : Boy Trouble

I sat on a rock at the beach, a book resting gently on my lap. The sun was so warm, complimented by the soft breeze that tugged at my sash and loose tunic. My mind was lost in the words; the heroic tale of the recapturing of Ba Sing Se. Amazing. And to think my Father was there, defeating Fire Lord Ozai. Pride made me smile, and I looked up momentarily, happy to be alive.

I could see Jinora by the sea, throwing rocks into the water to create a splash. She seemed distant; she wasn't radiating the happy, intelligent aura that usually emanated from her. She looked up, and saw me watching. She blushed, before running back up towards the house, jumping onto an air-scooter as she went.

I twisted my torso to be able to watch her, a slight frown creasing the gap between my eyebrows. Something was up with her, and I resolved to find out what.

"Hey, Bumi!" Bolin walked along the dock, Pabu curled up on his shoulders.

"Hey, Bolin," I grinned, closing the book.

He examined the title. "Ba Sing Se? I think some of our family comes from there."

"Really?" I asked, interested.

"Yeah…" Bolin shrugs. "Don't think they'd be too thrilled to have a fire-bender in the family, though."

"Ah," so that's why he and Mako had been left to fend for themselves as children.

Bolin wasted about ten minutes of my time before admitting he'd come for Korra. I told him she was inside, and sure enough, as if by magic, she appears. Grinning, she waves and walks over.

"Hey," she pokes me. "Have you talked to Jinora recently? She seems a bit down…"

"Tell Tenzin," I frowned. "He's her Dad, an' all."

She glares at me, and I have to bend backwards to avoid a lump of rock aimed at my head. I pull faces as she leaves, dragging Bolin along with her. I groan, realising that now I had to go and perform my duties as an Uncle, and nose about in my niece's private life. Ergh. And she wasn't even a teenager yet.

Jinora's room is always quiet, so I have to knock before entering, because she's usually reading or meditating. This time it's empty, and I have a nosey around, before I notice a letter on her desk.

For a horrible, awful moment I thought she'd run away, but I notice an empty bottle of juice and assume she's gone to get more, and being the responsible adult, I sit down to read the letter.

If Jinora was older, I would probably have teased her for days about writing a love letter. But for a ten year-old to be so sincere about her feelings towards a guy in her class, I felt a bit threatened. Even though it's not the kid's fault he's caught the eye of my niece, I still feel as if he's to blame. A weird, hostile emotion rises up inside me, and I look up, to see Jinora standing in the doorway.

Her mouth is open, and tears are welling in her eyes. She looks at me with this expression of betrayal which I know I'll never be able to get over. She drops the new bottle of juice, and flees from the room and down the hallway.

"Damn!" I slam down the letter and follow her down the hallway, and slide down the banister of the staircase.

She rushes through the dining room, sobbing, and I have to follow, now looking guilty and awful in front of everyone in there. Tenzin looks concerned, and his eyes flicker to Pema for help. For once, his wife's too shocked to come to a decision.

"Jinora!" I shout after her, charging down the beach.

I find her curled up on the sand, her eyes squeezed against the heels of her hands, and she tries to stop the tears from falling.

"Hey, I'm sorry," I sit next to her, my arm around her shoulders. "I didn't mean to read your letter…"

"It's not that," she sniffs. "I… I just-!"

Her lip quivers, and she bursts into fresh floods of tears.

"I don't think he likes me back!" she cries, burying her head in my chest.

I feel awkward at this point, because I have no idea what to say to a ten year-old on matters of love. I pause, and gently pat her back.

"Shall we go see him?" I asked, stupidly.

Jinora looked at me like I was some kind of spirit. She blinked, and wiped away her tears.

"Really?" she asked, whispering, as if being too loud would make me change my mind.

I nod, and she looks frightened for a moment, and nods.

"If Korra can do it, I can!" she says, bouncing up and rushing off to get the letter.

"Wait! Korra did what?" I blink.

Shrugging, I fetch my staff, and meet my niece on the beach. Tenzin's there, questioning her about this boy, and she already looks fed up with him.

"You're such an old man," I told him, noting that Jinora's got her own staff.

"I am not!" he puffs. "I'm just… worried."

"No need to be," I tell him, our grey eyes connecting. "It'll go off without a hitch."

Tenzin almost objects to my statement, but realises at the last moment that this would hurt Jinora's feelings. He frowns, but nods his consent.

As we're gliding over the city, Jinora tells me that his name's Shaozu, and that he's a non-bender, and he lives above his family's bakery. I can't help but smile, because the more she talks about him, the more animated she becomes.

She shows me his house, and I admire the hand-made drapes at the windows, and the cleanliness of the bakery below. Jinora smiles at me, before ringing the bell.

I wait on the other side of the street, leaning against a wall where I can be inconspicuous as well as being able to watch closely.

The door opens, and the boy appears. He's a pretty kid, with long black hair and dark eyes to match. He's wearing a bakery uniform – a delivery boy? I couldn't hear the conversation, but Jinora's expression became hopeful, and then sad. As the boy closed the door, I saw a red poster in the hallway behind him, with Amon's face on it.

_Equalists_? I thought, my eyes narrowing.

Jinora sighed, and tightened her grip on the staff.

"Did he get the letter?" I asked kindly.

"Yeah," she shrugged, looking so down-hearted I felt pain for her. "He promised to read it later."

I knelt by her, and her lip began to quiver. I sensed she didn't want to talk about it so close to his house, and I could see his Father glaring at us form inside the bakery.

"Hey, how about I buy us a cake and we can go to the park, okay?" I said gently, patting her head.

She sniffed, and nodded. I could tell she was trying to be brave, and promised to buy her the sweetest cake I could find.

Leaving her to stand outside the shop, I entered, the small bell above the door announced my arrival. The baker stood behind the counter, glaring at me, his hands still covered in flour.

"I'll have that cake… and some banana bread, please," I didn't look at him. "There's some lemurs on the island that love that stuff."

I placed the money on the counter, and he eyed it with distaste. I leant on the counter.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice dangerously low. "My money not good enough for you?"

I noticed the bottom of his brand sticking out under his sleeve. A firm believer in the Equalists, then. He kept glaring at me until I gripped his tunic in my fist, one end of my staff poked up under his chin, the air circulating around us dangerously.

"Listen," I said quietly. "You'll give me the cake that I've paid for, and I'll go. You continue to glare like that, and we'll see if non-benders can also fly."

He paled, and I knew at once I hadn't helped his opinion of benders at all, not something my Dad or brother would have done. Pah. Let him stew in his own self-pity.

He gave me the cake, and the bread, and I left his shop to join Jinora outside.

We walked to the park, and once we'd sat down on a bench, far away from other people, the tears started falling.

"He-he s-said…_ hic!_... that he wasn't allowed…_ hic! Hic!_... to be friends with b-b-b-benders!" she burst into sobs and hugged me, her slice of cake dropping onto the floor.

I hugged her tightly, because now this Equalist movement was really, _really_ getting on my nerves. First they threaten Korra, and then me, and now they ruin the childhood of my niece? Okay, it#s not ruined, but her first rejection should be something stupid like "You don't have blue eyes" or "You play the tsungi horn". Not because "you're an air-bender". Bending was a talent to be proud of, and because this kid had jealous, brain-washed parents, he'd been indoctrinated with this rubbish.

My fists clenched and unclenched, and I wiped the tears from Jinora's cheeks.

"He must have said something good, though," I said, smiling. "If that's his reason for saying no."

She paused, and a shy smile curled her lips. She giggled, and looked up at me.

"He says I'm pretty," she bit her lip, as if such a thing was forbidden. "And he likes my hair…"

I almost laughed; it was such a childish thing to say, and yet she was so happy about it. Even now, she was pulling at her brown locks, blushing.

I smile, because I feel like my job is done.

When we returned home, Tenzin and Pema greeted us, worried because we'd been gone so long. When Pema asked Jinora how it went, the little girl shrugged, and went up to her room. I explained, and Tenzin immediately went off into a rant about how his daughter was too good for a baker's son anyway. Pema sent me a look, and we both burst out laughing at his over-protective streak.

"What?" he asked, completely confused. "Is it something I said?"

I checked on my niece later, and found that she was reading again, another romance novel. I sat next to her, and she smiled at me.

"Thanks for the cake, Uncle Bumi," she smiled. "I had fun."

"Good," I ruffled her hair. "Don't take it to heart."

Her face stiffened, and she frowned. "I won't. But I'm worried about these Equalists, Uncle Bumi. Poor Shaozu didn't have a choice. What if others don't, too?"

I paused, because a ten year-old had considered something we'd all missed.


	11. Chapter 11 : The Council

Chapter 11 : The Council

Jinora's idea got me thinking. Brain-washing was more common than you'd think in Republic City. Advertising everywhere, I was looking at a billboard for Sato Motorcars now. What if the Equalists weren't all willing? Benders had lived with non-benders for centuries, why do they rise up now? If someone else is manipulating their minds somehow… A drug, perhaps? Or continuous, yet subtle propaganda?

I picked up my glider, and walked out onto the balcony, which looked out over the sea. Korra was there, sitting on the railings, watching the blue expanse of water. She looked up, surprised.

"Where are you off to?" she asked.

"Council," I said, a little more gruffly than I meant to.

She raised an eyebrow. "Can I come?"

"No."

"Why not? Besides, I'm the Avatar. You have to let me come," she pouted, and then a coy smile spread her lips, showing off her white teeth. "_Son_."

I flinched, and glared at her. She raised an eyebrow, and crossed her arms, knowing she'd won. I flicked open my glider, and Korra clung onto my waist.

It took a short time to reach the council's building. And I rapped impatiently on the door with my staff. Before being admitted inside, Lin appeared, glaring at Korra and I suspiciously.

"What are you two doing?" she asked, as if we were about to paint rude messages on the door.

"Bumi has a theory about the Equalists," Korra told her.

Lin's eyes narrowed, as if she were debating whether or not I was intelligent enough to know what a theory is, let alone make one of my own.

"Technically it's Jinora's idea," I tell her.

She crosses her arms now, wondering if I'm mucking her about. I don't bother to worry about correcting her, because the doors have opened.

I stroll into the council-room, my arrogance is reflected in my walk, and for this reason Tenzin is frowning. Tarrlok, that idiot from the Northern Water Tribe. I try not to sneer at his presence, but it happens anyway. I dislike him.

"Bumi," he says, acting surprised, even though my presence has been announced. "For what do we owe this pleasure? Ah, and you've brought Korra…"

There he went, scheming already. But I wasn't here for Tarrlok; I was here for Tenzin.

"I've been thinking about the Equalists," I tell him, my grey eyes meeting his. "And why there's so much support for Amon."

Tenzin's frown turns from disapproval to thoughtfulness, and he beckons for me to go on.

"Look," I address the whole council now. "Benders and non-benders have lived in peace with each other for centuries. Families have bender and non-bender kids all the time. There are twins where one's a bender and the other isn't. So why, exactly, is the non-bender population rising up _now_?"

"Economic climate?" suggests Tarrlok, but I ignore him.

"I think it's more to do with brainwashing," I tell Tenzin. "Okay, maybe not something so drastic as being sat in a room with a pendulum going in front of your eyes, but there's some sort of underlying, subconscious message that's being pounded into the minds of the people."

Lin steps forward. "It's true, it's not only the lower classes who are following Amon. A few high-ranking military officials have expressed consideration for Amon's plans."

Korra looks disgusted at this latest piece of information, but keeps quiet. I look to Tenzin, who seems thoughtful. Tarrlok is laughing.

"That's ridiculous! Brainwashing the population? Ha!" he laughed some more, before looking at the other council-members, his expression changing to one of distress. "You can't be serious? You're considering this?"

"Why would only non-benders be affected?" the representative of the Fire Nation asks, frowning slightly.

"There's been some research into the brain development of benders," I say. "It hasn't yet been proven completely, but they believe there's an extra part of the brain that allows for the control of the elements."

Tenzin frowns; this is going against his Air-Nomad teachings. "Bending is a gift inherited from the spirits, by observing the world and nature around us."

Korra nodded. "Waterbenders observed the moon and sea spirits."

"Tui and La," I nod. "I know. But all I'm saying is, if this is proved to be true, that this could be a reason for the subtle brainwashing. Amon's propaganda could target that area of the brain subconsciously."

"Ridiculous!" the Earth Kingdom representative spluttered, getting to his feet. "I've never heard a more preposterous idea in my life!"

I scan the faces of the other council members. Tenzin looks against the whole idea now, and I can see Korra working over what I said about the brain earlier. I sort of regret saying that now, as they're not concentrating on my actual point.

"Very well," Tenzin nods. "We'll take your point into consideration. Thank you, Bumi."

I frown, and bow in the traditional Air-Nomad fashion. I stride from the room, Korra following hesitantly. Outside the council building, I sigh, a gust of air exhales from my lungs. The sun warms my eyelids, and I open my arms as I sense Korra watching me.

"What did you mean?" she asked. "About the brain."

"It's just a theory," I shrug, walking off.

"Hey!" she chases after me, and grabs my sash. "Tell me."

I look at her, and we sit by another one of those statues of my Father and his friends. She's looking at me intensely, and I shrug.

"I'm not saying that bending isn't spiritual," I said, watching the clouds. "I meditate enough to know there's a spirit world somewhere, and the Avatar cycle is proof of that… But I think there's a physical, biological prospect to it as well."

Korra's now thoughtful. "I see what you mean. If bending exists, something has to cause it, right?"

I nod. "Yeah. Sorta."

We sit on this bench for a few minutes, enjoying the sunshine, when Korra's stomach rumbles. I laugh at her, and she blushes.

"Come on," I grin. "I'll get us some noodles."

"Alright!" she laughs.

Walking towards Narook's Seaweed Noodlery, I get the feeling my proposition isn't going to go away all that quickly.


	12. Chapter 12 : Missing Metalbenders Part 1

_Based just after the events of Episode 7, if some of you are confused._

Chapter 12 : Missing Metalbenders, Part 1

Lin was still annoyed about this latest thing with Hiroshi Sato. Not that I blamed her. Being used like that, and her men stolen and taken to Amon as well. Now she was sitting at the table with Tenzin and Pema, sipping at some tea. I leant against the wall, watching her.

"This is stupid!" she was saying. "I should be out there, looking for my men!"

Tenzin shook his head, frowning. "You need to heal, Lin. Lay low for a few days; you can recuperate in that time, and plan what to do next."

I raised an eyebrow, because it was pretty obvious Lin was considering doing nothing of the sort. Pema topped up her tea-cup.

"Surely it would be better to spend your time planning," she said quietly. "Instead of ranting and grumbling about the Equalists."

If looks could kill, Pema would be dead by now. Lin sent her another of those cruel glares that only Pema receives, but the pregnant woman skilfully ignored her, and carried on pouring tea.

"I could find them," I said, my eyes flickering from Tenzin to Lin. "I mean, give me some men, and I'll go get your officers."

Lin frowns slightly, and Tenzin flies off of the handles.

"Are you crazy?" he shouts at me, trying to lower his voice because it's not good if the children hear him. "You want your bending to be taken away? There are only so many air-benders left!"

"And there won't be any if Amon isn't stopped," I tell him, scowling. "So I'm going to help Lin, and you can sit on your backside and pretend nothing is wrong."

Oh dear. He turns red, and I prepare myself for a full air-attack of lecturing. But Pema rests a hand on his arm, and he seems to calm automatically. She's so good at that. Lin looks at me, her eyes narrowed.

"You mean it?" she asks, her voice dangerously quiet.

"Of course," I replied. "Someone needs to rescue your guys, and as you can't do, I guess I will."

"Did someone say rescue?" Bolin enters the room, followed by Korra and the others.

Korra looks at me, curious. "What's going on?"

Tenzin bristles. "My foolish brother is going after the Equalists, that's what's going on!"

He made a small _huff_ noise at the end of his sentence, like a child. I rolled my eyes, because when he doesn't get his own way he acts like the younger brother.

"Well, I'm in," Korra said, crossing her arms. "He'll need all the help he can get."

I'm about to object to her presence when Bolin suddenly volunteers as well, saying how he owes Korra a lot, and he doesn't want to see her get hurt. Mako of course has to come to look after his brother.

"I'll go too," Asami offers.

"No," I say, mainly because I really hadn't gotten over that kiss. "Look, no offense, but you're not a bender. Nobody wants to see you get hurt, and you're the most vulnerable out of all of us."

She's about to object, but Mako takes her wrists and talks to her seriously and quietly, whilst Bolin's practically bouncing about with excitement. Korra grins, and asks me where we're going.

"Well, we'll start in that underground factory," I decide. "And then we'll try and find out where they went."

Korra grins. "I'll get Naga."

And so, that's why we're here. We travelled down to Asami's old home, now cold and dark, compared to the light, rich luxury that Mako and Bolin enjoyed for such little time. Even now, Bolin looks at the place longingly, as we pass through on the way to the workshop.

"It looks so… empty," Korra said sadly, looking over her shoulder at the house. "What'll happen to it?"

"The council will freeze their assets, and effectively hold the house ransom," I tell them, as they're now listening to my every word. "Asami will have the fight of her life if she wants to get it back. A fight that doesn't involve fire-bending," I add, looking at Mako.

He glares at me, before looking up at the workshop ahead of us. I examine it carefully before entering; the others are ready to just dive in, but I hold them back.

"If a chi-blocker jumps out and attacks us now, we're done for," I say, raising my staff. "Be cautious. I'll take the front, Bolin, you take the back. Korra, on the left, and Mako, the right."

They all nod, and we enter the workshop. It's the same as ever, except for the large slab of floor that was ripped up by Lin on their first excursion down here. A Satomobile has been crushed, and I almost groan; it's a wonderful car.

"Okay, let's go," I say, confident that there's nobody hiding in the workshop.

I hear a whine, and forget that Korra's brought Naga along. The polar bear-dog could be useful, so we sent her ahead to scout out any Equalists who might be waiting ahead. We carried on down the tunnel, walking instead of taking the machine, just in case it had been rigged with explosives or something similar.

"It's so dark," Bolin shivered, even with the flames used by Korra and Mako. "And cold. Can we take a break?"

"No," I answer. "If we keep moving, we'll get there soon enough."

Bolin pouts at this, but remains quiet, listening out for any sign of attack. Within minutes of this exchange we're at the factory, and examine the twisted ruins of a few of these latest "weapons" that have been created by Mr. Sato. I kneel beside one, examining the cuts made by a powerful air-wave. Tenzin's outdone himself.

"Platinum," Korra said, kneeling beside me. "Sato made sure that the metal was so pure nobody could bend it. It's invincible."

"It may be," I said, straightening up. "But the people inside it aren't."

Naga whined; she'd been sniffing about and had caught the scent of the metal-benders. Korra rushed up to her, and I followed with Mako and Bolin.

"I think she's onto them," Korra told us, stroking Naga's head gently. "But how will we follow them? Naga can only hold so many…"

"I've got my staff," I say, flicking out the fan-like wings.

"There's a bike, over here!" Bolin said, rummaging around in a scrap-heap. "I wonder if I can…"

Tugging at wires, and a few sparks later, the bike kicked into life, rumbling ominously in the dark. Bolin jumped on and drove it over to Mako, who looked a bit put-out at being offered the back seat.

"I'll ride on Naga with Korra," he decided.

I noticed Korra blush a little. Just the tiniest tint of red in her cheeks; she wasn't over him yet, it seemed. I nodded, and leapt into the air, directing the currents around me.

The others set off below; I suppose I was the look-out. Naga led us out of a trap-door, in the edge of the mountainside, and we travelled down winding roads and precariously thin tracks on the edge of cliffs. Where had they taken them?

We hit a river after so many miles. Naga whined and paused, pacing the river bed. She swam across, and sniffed the opposite shore. Nothing.

"We've lost them," Korra said. "They must have travelled down the river."

"With all the embargo in place? They'd walk right into the hands of the police," I frowned, looking down the long line of flowing water, as it weaved around the terrain.

"Where have they gone?" Korra frowned. "They're not here."

"They haven't gone downstream…" Bolin scratched his head, thinking. "So have they gone upstream?"

"Don't be stupid, Bo," Mako crossed his arms. "There's a waterfall not half a mile from here. And unless they have water-benders, they can't get up that."

My brain's telling me something about what the brothers are saying. Bolin's right when he says upstream is the only way to go, but Mako's also correct when he says they can't get up the waterfall. So where could they go, that was there, with the metal-benders?

"They're in the waterfall," I say.

"What?" the three of them ask me, and Naga whines.

I knelt by the muddy bank, and drew a crude picture of us, by the waterfall.

"Okay, so here's the falls," I point with the stick. "Outside, it's perfectly normal. But what if _behind_ the falls, there's a secret cave, or something."

"Oh! Oh!" Bolin nods. "Like in a comic-book!"

"Yeah," I accept. "Something like that."

Korra and Mako look at each other, as if they don't believe someone would actually mine into rock behind a waterfall to create a cave to hide out in. But then they remember that we're dealing with Amon, and so they nod.

"Let's do it," Korra agrees. "We have to get to those men before Amon does."


	13. Chapter 13 : Missing Metalbenders Part 2

Chapter 13 : Missing Metalbenders, Part 2

Korra bended the water from her clothes and hair, whilst Naga whined outside, behind the curtain of water that separated us. Bolin and Mako soon followed us into the cave, and I could see the latter was impressed that our theory had worked.

"So, what do we do?" Bolin asked, looking at the dark tunnel ahead.

"We find us some metal-benders," I say, starting forward, which is stupid, because I can't see where I'm going.

"Here," Mako moves forward, his fist glowing with flames.

Following the dark tunnel slowly and carefully, I could hear muffled sounds – whether it was the captured benders, or several unnoticed chi-blockers, I had no idea. The dripping of water in the damp cave distracted me, and I sniffed the air currents for any scents of strangers.

"Anything yet?" I asked, looking at Bolin, who paused, and placed the palm of his hand to the ground.

He frowned, concentrating more than I'd ever seen. His eyes flickered open, and he pointed at the wall, mouthing something I couldn't really see in the flickering of Mako's flames.

"Through there!" he hissed. "There are cells through there!"

Korra immediately moves forward and with a shout, rips down the wall. We charge through, and are disappointed to find that our cell is empty.

"Here," Mako is crouching by the lock. "Give me a minute…"

A burning red palm presses against the lock, and within ten minutes, has reached the lock mechanism. A jab with some rock by Bolin, and the door swings open.

"Let's go," I told them, and Korra nods in her determined way.

She looked so fierce, her brow furrowed in concentration. Her fists glowed with orange flames, and her blue eyes glittered with excitement and adrenaline. I wondered what I'd done in a past life to deserve friends like her. I must have been a saint.

"They have to be around here somewhere," Mako told us, as he ran along the line of cells, peering through the bars in the doors.

"I can't feel their presence," I confessed, and Bolin nodded.

"Is anyone here?" Korra asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"There must be," Mako looked frustrated. "They _have_ to be here!"

I watched him carefully; he was so agitated. If he was this anxious now, how would he react in conflict with Amon's followers?

"We should split up," Korra said. "I'll go with-"

"I'll take Mako," I said. "Air and fire go well together, so I've heard."

Korra looked slightly put out, but nodded. She beckoned to Bolin, and they rushed along the corridor, their footsteps tapping on the metal floor. It sounded hollow; there must have been other levels.

"Let's go," Mako told me, trekking down the corridor after Korra and Bolin.

"Wait," I told him, pressing my ear to the metal floor.

Though it was faint, I could still hear Korra and Bolin's rapid steps. There were more, heading this way. Judging by the calm, almost leisurely paces, I beckoned Mako back into our open cell.

The chi-blockers soon came into view, laughing about some poor bender who'd had his bending taken away.

I nodded to Mako, and we both jumped out of our hiding place into their path. A kick to the head from Mako knocked one out cold, whereas the other one was ready. A blast of air in his face, and I was able to pin him to the wall.

"Where are they?" Mako growled, flames dancing on his fingertips, which were dangerously close to the guy's face. "Where are you keeping them?!"

The poor man looked so bewildered that I had no choice but to knock him out. He didn't know, it was apparent to the both of us. Mako looked at me.

"I have a horrible feeling…" he began.

"That they're not here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah. Me too."

A cry alerts us to our rogue friends, and at once Ako and I sprint down the corridor. I'm faster, as the air currents in the tunnel push me forward, making me lighter.

"Korra!" I shouted, bursting into a room.

She looked at me, our eyes connecting just before a chi-blocker stops the flow of energy to her left arm. She roars at him, fire spilling from her mouth. Bolin's already unconscious on the floor. I ran to help her, my feet taking three long strides before a pair of hands tapped my knees, causing me to stumble and crash to the floor.

"Bumi!" Korra calls me from across the room.

I heard the sound of a fist impacting upon soft flesh, and as I looked to her, she was knocked out. I tried to move towards her but my legs just wouldn't respond. I could hear Mako behind me, fighting valiantly, but to no avail.

"Amon was right," a chi-blocker knelt in front of me, and gripped my chin tightly in his fingers. "He knew you'd come after those metal-benders. This trap was perfectly placed, ready for you."

I wanted to smack him in the face. I wanted to clench my fist, and impact my knuckles on his fat jaw, and enjoy the feeling of the bones underneath shifting and cracking beneath my strength. I was glad my maternal family were warriors in the southern water tribe, because any air-bending ancestors I had were frowning at me now.

"Sweet dreams," he smirked.

A tap at the base of my skull and everything faded to darkness. I couldn't help thinking, before I felt my brain sleep, that I spent most of my time knocked out by chi-blockers.


	14. Chapter 14 : Childhood Memories

Chapter 14 – Childhood Memories.

Chains? It took thick metal chains around my wrists and ankles to keep me from bending. And a gag, of course. Didn't want me to talk my way out. Idiots.

Hanging there in that cell gave me time to think, though. I knew that they were going to take us out on a truck, and that was our only real hope of escape. Groaning through my gag, I could sometimes see Mako in the cell opposite me, if our guards were lazy and left the hatches in our doors open.

He was across from me as my brain was going over this little monologue. His head slumped forward; he was either still out cold, or sleeping. Sleeping was good; it helped pass the time.

My mind wandered through the metal walls towards Air Temple Island, where Tenzin would be going spare. I smiled; he always used to worry about my whereabouts as a kid. Once, when I was four, I got stuck up a tree, and Tenzin was the one who noticed my absence. He'd got Dad to get me down, and then lectured me to kingdom-come when my feet were on the ground.

My brother had always been very protective, so much so that when I was bullied at school for my inability to water-bend, he'd turned up and asked them how cool they thought air-bending was after blasting them into the pool that stood in the middle of the courtyard. He'd been angry at himself afterwards, and threatened me with Kya, should I ever tell Dad. I could only smile.

I was smiling now, in the dark of the cell. Damn, the chains were so tight my hands were getting pins and needles.

If Kya was here, she'd be able to break us out. My sister was a force of nature, I'd give her that. When I was really small, she used to crouch beside me as I hid behind our Mother. She'd always tap my nose, which even then would disorientate me. She'd smile at me, before racing off to go surfing or sailing… Sometimes she'd go fishing with Tenzin. I used to watch them. She'd pulled up fish in little globes of water, and Tenzin would be sat there with a fishing rod. Of course, they'd always throw the fish back, it was more of a silent competition between the two of them. Dad took us out on Appa once, so that we could be over the deepest part of the sea.

"Dad!" Kya had shouted. "Look!"

He'd been busy teaching me how to bait a hook, something I found repulsive. We both turned to my sister, however, and saw her holding an enormous Se Tu fish, its great green body wiggling on Appa's saddle. The bison _maww_ed at us, and we all stared at it in disbelief.

"Show-off," Tenzin had muttered, before turning back to his rod.

Kya had laughed at him, before pushing the fish back into the sea.

I laughed now. She was a show-off, but Mum's salvation. Someone to water-bend with. Someone to teach and nurture. Dad had us, and though he tried to mentor Kya in some respects, Mum took over all of the water-bending. I used to watched the two of them, Kya and Mum, out in the snow, practising movements and forms. It was quite hypnotic, actually.

Kya had always relied on water-bending to calm herself down. When Dad died, Tenzin and I didn't know what to do. Mum was paralysed with grief, and Kya stood outside, water-bending until dawn came. I watched Tenzin go and get her inside, and she burst into tears. I think it was the only time I saw my sister cry.

We all focused in different ways on how to deal with Dad's death. Mum began teaching water-bending and healing, and was often called upon for help in our village. Tenzin went to Republic City, and Kya continued doing whatever it was she actually did. I went travelling. I went all over the Earth Kingdom. I visited Kyoshi Island, and stared at the statue of the past Avatar. Were they all so formidable? I had to laugh at myself. Of course they were.

"Hey!" I shouted out, from under my gag. "Hey, you out there!"

"What is it?" a gruff voice answered.

"I'm thirsty!" I told them, annoyed that they weren't going to remove this stupid gag.

"What did he say?" another murmured to the first.

"No idea," he replied. "Just leave him. Amon will deal with them soon enough."

I had to sigh. It was another few hours before they came to collect us. We were blindfolded, but I could tell the other three were behind me. Bolin whimpered, and Korra seemed to be struggling. I could feel the heat radiating from Mako. The kid was obviously angry. Well, when _weren't _fire-benders angry?

Light diffused through my blindfold; the itchy material was starting to rub against my forehead in an extremely uncomfortable way. A blast of cold air hit me, and I knew we were outside.

"Get them in," a gruff voice said.

Hands seized me and threw me into what I guessed was a truck. My blindfold slipped slightly upon impact, and I could see everything with my right eye. Korra was being loaded into the truck next. Picked up like a sack of potatoes, and thrown inside. I had to wince as I heard her head hit the truck's bottom. She made an aggravated noise under her gag, and I tapped her hands with my feet. She seemed to catch on, and nodded. With her fingers, she unlaced my boots slowly, so as to avoid detection.

Bolin and Mako were soon lying on top of us. Luckily for my plan, there were no chi-blockers in the back with us. Careless.

As the rumbling beneath us began, Korra pulled off my boot. Grinning under my gag, I wiggled my toes happily.

As a child, I had often run about in bare feet, using my toes to do stupid things like pick up objects while completing a handstand. Now I was glad for these strange antics. I tugged at the gag that bound Korra's mouth. She began to choke as it came off.

"Ouch," she saw, opening and closing her jaw. "Ah, about time!"

I pulled off her blindfold, and she grinned at me, before breathing flames onto the ropes that bound Mako. How come they had ropes, yet I had chains? Feeling segregated, I waited for the fire-bender (now free) to untie Korra and Bolin. My blindfold and gag were finally removed, and I waited patiently for them to untie the chains on my wrists before I attempted to untangle my ankles. Bolin had his ear pressed to the metal wall that was the only barrier between us and our lovely guards.

"We're almost there!" he hissed. "Hurry!"

Rubbing my sore wrists, I stood, and gestured for Mako and Korra to move. Breathing in deeply, I widened my stance before jumping forward, my cupping hands pushing forward. However, due to the momentum of the truck, I jumped a little too far, and instead of simply opening the doors, blew them off of the hinges.

"Whoops," I muttered, and Bolin laughed.

"Let's go," Korra decided, eyeing the rocky path that was racing under us.

Mako went first, using flames to cushion his fall as he rolled to the side. Korra and Bolin followed suit, though earth-bending was a more conventional way to smooth your descent. I followed, jumping high in order to gain enough support from the air currents that carried me down to safety. As soon as we were all together we bolted for it – into the trees that lined the road. My feet skipped lightly over the ground; air pushed me forwards. Mako and Korra were behind me, followed by Bolin. Korra let out a series of high whistles, and we all sighed with relief when Naga appeared. I realised that I didn't have my staff; like an idiot, I'd lost it to the chi-blockers.

"You guys go ahead," I told them. "I can keep up."

They all looked doubtful. Korra shook her head.

"We can take turns," she told me.

Bolin nodded. "I'll go after you."

I grinned at them.

It took us hours to get our bearing and finally start off in the direction of the city. Air-bending was useful in that I could jump up high into the trees and check where we were. As the sun dipped below the mountains, and I could no longer see my hand in front of my face, the four of us regrouped on the ground.

"This is stupid," Mako complained, orange flames lighting up our little group. "We can't stay here; we'll be caught for sure."

"There's a cave over that way," Bolin pointed. "Maybe we should stay there for the night."

Korra and I exchanged glances, and nodded.

"It seems like our best bet," I agreed.

We sent Naga out ahead to sniff out Bolin's hiding place, until we came across it. It was small, and cramped, but dry. With Naga as an improvised method of heating, we soon fell asleep to the steady rhythm of her breathing. Korra's head rested on my shoulder, and Bolin's arm ended up in my lap. I strained to keep my eyelids open, but sleep descended on my suddenly and viciously, rendering me helpless.


End file.
